Olympic Gold and Glory to God!

Wearing a ‘Glory To God Alone’ Swim Cap, Tatjana Wins Olympic Gold and Breaks World Record

A South African swimmer with a “Soli Deo Gloria” swim cap won Olympic gold after breaking the world record for the women’s 200-meter breaststroke.

Twenty-four-year-old Tatjana Schoenmaker completed the race with a time of 2 minutes and 18.95 seconds — breaking the previous world record of 2 minutes and 19.11 seconds set by Denmark’s Rikke Moller Pedersen in 2013. American swimmers Lilly King and Annie Lazor — who clinched silver and bronze — rushed to embrace Schoenmaker in the water while she wept in disbelief.

“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” said Schoenmaker after her race. “It couldn’t have been a better race. It still just doesn’t sink in; maybe one day.”

“It’s just an incredible swim,” Lazor said of Schoenmaker. “That world record has been standing for a little bit too long, I think. So, to see someone finally crack 2:19, we’ve all been working towards that I think, to see someone like her do it, she’s just a great person, just to be there and experience that with someone is something that you’ll really never forget.”

Schoenmaker also earned silver in Tokyo for the 100-meter breaststroke.

Beyond her swimming performance, Schoenmaker has attracted international attention for the swim cap she wears under her South African cap, which reads “Soli Deo Gloria” — “Glory to God Alone.”  The cap also features a blue “Jesus fish” — the ancient Christian symbol associated with the Greek word for fish, “Ichthus,” which doubles as a Greek acrostic translated as “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.”

As she travelled to the game, Schoenmaker posted a prayer to her Twitter page:

Father God may your will be done, may your peace fill us up, may we praise you no matter what the outcome, may we be empowered by your strength to give it our all and may we forever be in the awe of your goodness! pic.twitter.com/FE21q66Bvs

— Tatjana Schoenmaker (@TRSchoenmaker) July 23, 2021

• By Ben Zeisloft - July 30, 2021 - on com